Lane separator

ABSTRACT

A block ( 100 ) for a lane separator having a first end with recess ( 132 ) and protrusions ( 131, 133 ) and a second end ( 140 ) with a complementary protrusion ( 142 ) and recesses ( 141, 143 ) such that the projections and recesses ( 131 - 133; 141 - 143 ) fit into the recesses and protrusions of the neighboring blocks of the same shape as the block ( 100 ), wherein the recesses and protrusions are provided with bores ( 160 ) adapted to receive a cylindrical locking pin ( 150 ). The base portion ( 110 ) having vertical side walls ( 111, 112 ) that prevents a vehicle from climbing onto the block. The locking pin ( 150 ) is formed of a hollow, deformable tube, so that kinetic energy of a collision to a greater extent than before deforms the block, and to a lesser degree the vehicle. The block is hollow and can be deployed manually without tools, and then filled with water, sand or similar to the desired weight. The lane separator can also be used as a foundation for signs, and more.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical field

This invention relates to a movable block for use in a lane separator.

2. Background Art

Lane separators consisting of blocks positioned after another in a rowis often used to separate vehicular traffic from oncoming traffic,pedestrians and road workers and for other applications where it isdesirable to prevent a vehicle ending up in a place where it can doharm.

Today, it is common to use concrete blocks for such lane separators. Thespecific weight of concrete makes the blocks relatively heavy for theirsize. A concrete block weighs in addition relatively much compared to apassenger car, for example 50% or more of the car's weight and hasrelatively high friction against the surface. If a vehicle runs into arow of such concrete blocks, the concrete blocks will therefore moverelatively little. Consequently, a relatively large part of thevehicle's kinetic energy is used to deform the vehicle. This canincrease the damage to the driver and any passengers and is undesirable.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,009 B1 is an example of lane separators which iscomposed of blocks which are hinged at their ends. Such blocks may bemade of reinforced concrete. U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,009 B1 describes blocksthat are V-shaped towards the ends to prevent corner damage on impact,i.e. when the hinged elements turn relative to each other. The blocksare further equipped with shock absorbers on the separator to reduce theshock on impact. Concrete blocks requires heavy load tool when deployed,and it is unclear to what degree a shock absorber, such as an elasticelement or a deformable metal structure, absorb energy in the event of acollision.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,049 discloses a lane separator that have a row ofcontainers filled with water or another shock-absorbing medium, and canbe deployed and then filled with water. Longitudinal steel wires arestretched and secured in the blocks after deployment, so that the roadblocks as a whole yield on impact and directs the car back into thecorrect lane. Disadvantages of this lane separator are that it requirestools and work to stretch the steel wire at installation, and longsections of steel wire must be replaced after a collision.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,913,415 B1 discloses a modular lane separator whereineach block has a first end with a protrusion that has a rotationallysymmetrical end and a second end with a corresponding rotationallysymmetrical recess. When two blocks are placed side by side, one blockprotrusion fits into recess(es) of adjacent block. A locking pin may beinserted in vertical bores through protrusions and recesses in twoadjacent blocks so that the blocks are locked pivotally against oneanother. The blocks may be made of rotational molded polyethylene, andis filled with for instance water. The blocks can also be secured withstraps, e.g. 75 mm×6 mm polyethylene straps, laid in figure of eightpatterns around two neighboring blocks and tightened with a tensioner orsimilar. Straps distribute the forces of a collision along severalblocks. The locking pins can if desired be attached to the ground, andan optional friction pad can be placed between the block and the ground.Features of this document is set out in the preamble of claim 1

Lane separator in U.S. Pat. No.6,913,415 has an inclined lower edge. Ifa car hits the edge, it will climb up onto the lane separator andpossibly pass over the block.

The blocks in the lane separator is also joined by hard bolts. Thecollision energy will therefore not go to deform the bolts, but insteaddeform the loops. This increases the risk that the blocks slide apart onimpact.

The task to be solved by the present invention is to provide an improvedblock for the lane separator that solves at least one of the problems inthe prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This problem is addressed with a block as claimed in claim 1,

When the base portion is sufficiently high, wheels of a vehicle can notclimb the vertical side walls up onto the block. If a vehicle drivesinto a lane separator of such blocks, the blocks thus shift laterallywithout the vehicle climbing up onto the lane separator and passingover.

When the locking pin is formed of a hollow, deformable tube, a part ofthe vehicle's kinetic energy by such a collision is spent to deform thetube. Thus, there is less energy available to break loose protrusionswith holes from the block, and the lane separator can therefore absorbmore kinetic energy from the vehicle than previously known laneseparators before the blocks are broken apart.

Each pair of neighboring blocks is preferably pivotally connected abouttheir common locking pin. Thus, a number of blocks are deployed at anangle between the longitudinal axes of adjacent blocks. If a vehiclewith a velocity component in the length direction of the block hit theblock, the block will move laterally and pull the neighboring blocksalong with it. The blocks will be connected as described above, to forma curve that directs the vehicle back to the correct lane.

The block is preferably hollow and has an inlet at the top and an outletat the bottom. If the block is made of PE and filled with air, it willbe sufficiently light so that it can be handled by one or two personswithout lifting tools. When the block is in place, it can be filled withwater, sand, gravel, concrete, antifreeze solution, foam or somethingelse through the inlet. Thus, the block mass increase, so it does notmove too much laterally on impact. Increased mass also causes the forceof the block perpendicularly on to the ground, and thus the friction, toincrease. During a collision a larger part of the vehicle's kineticenergy is consequently spent to overcome friction between the block andthe substrate, so that there is less energy available for deformation oflane separator and vehicle.

The block also has at least one through-hole along the width axis. In ahollow block the block side walls is held together by the walls of theseholes, so that the block side walls do not bulge when the block isfilled.

The block may further have baluster fastenings attached to the topportion. Baluster fastenings may be sleeves or holes adapted to receivevertical fence posts. Alternatively or additionally the balusterfastenings may be brackets with screw attachments for vertical postswhich, for example in turn, may be fastenings for safety fences, wire orother known means used to separate traffic. The blocks can also beplaced individually or in rows and form the foundation for noisebarriers, road signs, billboards, bus shelters and more.

A number of buildings of this type can be placed end to end andconnected with the locking pins and bores of a lane separator. Laneseparators may be equipped with a fence and/or a crash barrier at thetop to prevent cars or car parts from passing the separator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in more detailin the following detailed description with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a lane separator seen in perspective.

FIG. 2 shows a series of lane separator assembled into a row.

FIG. 3 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 seen from above.

FIG. 4 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 seen from the side.

FIG. 5 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1, viewed from one end.

FIGS. 6 a-d show a preferred locking pin

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a block 100The block has a base portion 110 and a top portion 120 As shown in FIGS.1 and 5, the base portion is wider than the top portion 120 when theblock 100 is seen from one end. The block 100 has longitudinally a firstend 130 and a second end 140 The first end 130 having a recess 132 andprotrusions 131, 133 The second end 140 having a protrusion 142 andrecesses 141, 143 When two blocks of this type are assembled, protrusion142 fits into the recess 132 of the adjacent block, while theprotrusions 131 and 133 of the adjacent block pass over and under theprotrusion 142 The recesses and protrusions 131-133 and 141-143 is shownclearly in FIG. 4

In a preferred embodiment, the block 100 is produced as a hollow body ofa suitable plastic material, such as polyethylene (PE). When the blockis hollow, it can be emptied and removed without the use of tools andfilled with, for instance sand or water before use. The block may beproduced by conventional methods, e.g., rotational molding and/orwelding. Such methods are well known to those skilled in the art and aretherefore not further described here.

FIG. 2 shows a number of blocks 100 end to end so that protrusions andrecesses are inserted into each other. Adjacent blocks are connectedtogether by locking pins 150 inserted into bores 160 which substantiallyextends vertically, i.e. into the plane of the paper in FIG. 2

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the base portion 110 side walls 111, 112extends vertically. They lack in other words a ramp that can guide avehicle up onto the block and in the worst case over the block where itcan be dangerous for oncoming traffic or harm people. The walls 111 and112 should be sufficiently high so that wheel of a vehicle can not climbonto the block. If a vehicle drives into a lane separator of suchblocks, the blocks thus shift laterally without the vehicle climbingupon the lane separator and passing over.

FIG. 5 illustrates a locking pin 150 which is formed of a hollow,deformable tube. This tube is inserted through bores 160 in theprotrusions and recesses of adjacent blocks, so that the two neighboringblocks are connected together. When the locking pin is deformable aportion of the vehicle's kinetic energy will be spent to deform the tubeduring a collision. Thus, there is less energy available to break looseprotrusions 131, 133 and 142 from the bores of the block, and laneseparator can therefore absorb more kinetic energy from the vehicle thanprior art lane separator before the blocks are broken apart.

As shown in FIG. 2 the block's end surfaces is adapted to allow an anglebetween the longitudinal axis of two adjacent blocks (100), so that thelane separator 200, which consists of connected blocks 100 may follow aturn, placed around a corner, etc. In the preferred embodiment shown inthe Figures protrusions and recesses 131-133; 141-143 have cylindricalend surfaces. In FIG. 3, which shows the block plan view is evident thatthe ends are semi-circles with center at the center of the bore 160

The block 100 is as mentioned preferably hollow. When it is filled withair, a suitable mass could be 50-100 kg, so that one or two people canput the block in place without cranes and connect it with adjacent blockin the lane separator 200 The mass can be increased by filling the blockwith a liquid or a powder material, for example water or sand. An inlet170 is arranged at the top for filling of such a medium.

The figures also show an outlet 180 at the bottom of the block 100. Thisoutlet facilitates emptying of the block. However, applications can beconceived in which the contents of the box should not be draineddirectly into the environment. For example, water containing glycol orother antifreeze may have been filled into the block to prevent thewater freezing, expanding and damaging or destroying the block. Glycoland other chemicals should not automatically be discharged directly intothe environment through an outlet 180, but instead be pumped backthrough the inlet 170 for recycling or disposal. The outlet 180 is notused in such applications, and can therefore be omitted in someembodiments.

The block 100 preferably has at least one through-hole 190 along thewidth axis, i.e. between the side walls. The through hole 190 has wallsthat hold the block side walls together when the block 100 is filledwith liquid, sand or similar. Alternatively, the blocks may be providedwith internal ribs or struts to achieve the same effect. By rotationalmolding, however, the mold can easily be pulled out of the hole 190,avoiding extra work of placing stiffeners in the mold.

Both holes or tunnels 190 and other stiffeners should be located anddesigned so that sand and other granular materials do not accumulate andhinder the distribution and filling of the block 100

The top portion 120 preferably has baluster fastenings 170, 171, 172 InFIG. 3, these are illustrated as vertical sleeves into the plane of thepaper, where it can be inserted posts for fastening for instance afence, a crash barrier or steel wires which after assembly runs alongthe lane separator 200 Baluster fastenings may alternatively be clamps,or other fasteners for vertical posts or balusters, and mayalternatively be attached to one or both sides of the top portion 120

Lane separator 200 in FIG. 2 comprises a series of blocks 100 of thetype described above. Each block 100 can be deployed manually whenempty, and connected to the adjacent block with a deformable locking pin150 The block is then filled with for instance water or sand so that themass, and hence friction against the surface increases. Finally, afence, guard rails or steel wires (not shown) mounted on top of the laneseparator 200

Assume that such a lane separator are mounted along a road and that avehicle swerves side and hits the lane separator 200 Because the lowerpart of each block 100 has vertical walls, the vehicle is not led ontoor over the lane separator. In such collisions, it is not desirable thatlane separator is static so that the car's kinetic energy is used todeform the car, as this increases the risk of injury to the person (s)in the car. The filled blocks 100 therefore preferably have a mass thatis small enough for the blocks 100 to move laterally by such acollision, but not so small that the lane separator is shifted so muchthat it becomes dangerous for oncoming traffic or people it was intendedto protect. A mass of e.g. 1-5 tons may be suitable. The actual massthat should be used depends on the friction between the block 100 andthe ground, if it is installed bolts in the ground etc.

When a block 100 is moved laterally, it will pull the neighboring blocksalong with it via the deformable locking tabs 150 Since work is spent todeform the locking pins, the energy used to deform the vehicle isreduced accordingly.

A fence, guard rails or steel wires that are mounted atop the laneseparator 200 may further contribute to the vehicle being directed backto the correct lane so as to cause the least possible damage.

1. Block (100) for lane separator having a longitudinal axis, anelevation axis and a width axis perpendicular to each other, one baseportion (110) that is wider than a top portion (120)as measured alongthe width axis, wherein a first end (130) of the block (100) hasrecesses (132) and protrusions (131, 133) and a second end (140) of theblock (100) have complementary protrusion (142) and recesses (141, 143)such that the protrusions and recesses (131-133; 141-143) fits into therecesses and protrusions of the adjacent blocks of the same shape as theblock (100), wherein the recesses and protrusions are provided withbores (160) adapted to receive a cylindrical locking pin (150),characterized in that the base portion (110) having side walls (111,112) extending parallel to the height axis and that the locking pin(150) is formed of a hollow, deformable tube.
 2. Block according toclaim 1, wherein the end protrusions and recesses (131-133; 141-143)have end surfaces adapted to allow an angle between the longitudinalaxes of two adjacent blocks (100) when adjacent blocks areinterconnected by a common locking pin (150) through holes (160). 3.Block according to claim 2, wherein end protrusions and recesses(131-133; 141-143) have cylindrical surfaces and wherein the cylinderaxes of rotation coincides with the axis of the bore.
 4. Block accordingto claim 1, wherein the block (100) is hollow and has an inlet (170) atthe top.
 5. Block according to claim 4, wherein the block (100) has anoutlet (180) at the bottom.
 6. Block according to claim 1, furthercomprising at least one through hole (190) along the width axis. 7.Block according to claim 1, further comprising baluster fasteningsattached to the top portion (120).
 8. Lane separator (200) having aseries of blocks (100),with each block having a longitudinal axis, anelevation axis and a width axis perpendicular to each other, one baseportion (110) that is wider than a top portion (120) as measured alongthe width axis, wherein a first end (130) of the block (100) hasrecesses (132) and protrusions (131, 133) and a second end (140) of theblock (100) have complementary protrusion (142) and recesses (141, 143)such that the protrusions and recesses (131-133; 141-143) fits into therecesses and protrusions of the adjacent blocks of the same shape as theblock 100 wherein the recesses and protrusions are provided with bores(160) adapted to receive a cylindrical locking pin (150), characterizedin that the base portion (110) having side walls (111, 112) extendingparallel to the height axis and that the locking pin (150) is formed ofa hollow, deformable tube wherein the blocks are placed end to end, andeach pair of neighboring blocks are connected by a deformable lockingpin (150).